Quality of Service (“QoS”) is a common term used by those of ordinary skill in communication systems. Essentially, it refers to the ability of networks to ensure and maintain certain performance parameters for each application according to the specified needs of each user. Examples of QoS parameters are bandwidth, delay, jitter, information loss, network availability, and security. However, not all are required. Nor is this an exclusive list.
To establish a QoS reservation, the requesting device needs to be able to communicate with a device that grants QoS reservations. However, when the requesting device is located in an insecure environment, such as a network different from that in which the QoS granting device is located, then authenticated communication is desired.
Thus, there is a need for a way to distribute authentication keys so as to allow a client requesting QoS from a network to be authenticated to a device which grants the requested QoS. For example, there is a need to reduce the number of denial of service possibilities on Voice over IP networks.